Girls' Education

The VAD Foundation has always made girls education a priority. We have done this by scaling our efforts to create learning opportunities for girls, improving girls' learning outcomes and transforming harmful gender norms in society.

That is why we built the Stephane Yulita Girls' Dormitory in 2010, which allowed up to 115 girls to study at Marial Bai Secondary School. The girls overcame many challenges to complete their education. Click HERE, to read about just one of our graduates, Mary Abuk Kuur Bol. In 2018, we will open the Alok Girls' Academy, the first all-girls boarding school in the region. The Academy will provide education for up to 144 girls who would not have had it otherwise.

Our long term goal in our forthcoming project, the South Sudan Employment Initiative, will target out-of-school adolescent girls (those left behind by the formal educational system).

Only 12% of teachers are female. Female teachers are essential to serve as a positive influence for girls to enroll and stay in school – such a low number plays a part in reinforcing gender disparities.

The VAD Foundation in the News

Peace through Education

The VAD Foundation is a nonprofit organization working in South Sudan to create community-driven development projects. Established by Valentino Deng and Dave Eggers after the publication of What is the What, the Foundation's first major project is the construction and operation of a 21-structure educational complex in Valentino's hometown of Marial Bai, South Sudan.

Marial Bai Secondary School (MBSS) has increased access to excellent secondary education, trained teachers, created equal opportunities for girls, and promoted literacy for children and adults in the region. MBSS is the highest ranking South Sudanese secondary school that is free for students to attend, a true leader in the movement to educate the new nation of South Sudan.

Based on these successes the South Sudanese government granted us a new, additional campus that we will be opening as the Alok Girls’ Academy, an all-girls boarding school, in 2018.

Buy the Book

What Is The What

What Is the What is the soulful account of Valentino Achak Deng's life: from the time he was separated from his family in Marial Bai to the thirteen years he spent in Ethiopian and Kenyan refugee camps, to his encounters as a resettled refugee in Atlanta. It was a NY Times bestseller and is translated into multiple languages. Proceeds from the book help support the Marial Bai Secondary School.